Habitat For Humanity International Inc

Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity provides houses to poor families. Houses. Moreover, the new homeowners have helped build the houses they will live in, working alongside of members of the community. This is an extraordinary mission when you think about it.

I first became involved with Habitat in 2006, having wanted to do something more active than simply write a check. When I visited the Habitat office, I was struck by the friendliness and enthusiasm of everyone there. Within a few weeks, I was laying baseboard, my first job. In the years since, I have helped with insulation, siding, framing, and painting, often with the future homeowners doing the same thing.

The Habitat staff members I've had the good fortune to work with are incredible: Beth and Megan in the office, and Roy, Terry and Jacob on the work sites. Some of the best people I've ever met.

Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity is the absolute best non-profit organization I've ever had the opportunity to witness. Of course the goal is to provide affordable housing for those who need help, but in the process they also help these home owners to succeed not only in maintaining the home, but also in maintaining their personal finances. It's a holistic approach in not only making the home available to those who qualify but also in keeping the home and well-being of the families long-term.

I can't say enough about the quality of the people who work for habitat and who volunteer. Great skill and pride are put into every aspect of construction: purchasing the properties; choosing functional house plans; designing the homes to fit into the neighborhoods where they're built and giving surrounding homeowners the inspiration to improve their own homes. The skills and knowledge of the crew are expert and are wonderful, respectful teachers. Most of all - for me, anyway - they make hard work FUN!

Fundraising events are creative, well-planned, and involve activities that can be done by people who aren't old enough or physically able to work on job sites, which works very well in helping children learn how important it is to give to our community.

I cannot imagine any other organization more deserving of the Winter 2011 GuideStar-KIMBIANonprofit Giveaway.

I have had the opportunity to volunteer for Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity for a couple of years now. The staff and crew are amazing. It is obvious when working with Roy, Terry and Jacob that they are truly dedicated to building perfect homes. They make all the volunteers feel welcome and are very patient when teaching us new skills. Working with RCHFH has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

I volunteered this year on a Women's Build thru our diplomat program with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce. I can not say enough good things about that day. I left so inspired and very impressed with the work that the staff does. I will certainly volunteer again and support this organization any way that I can, and hopefully even recruit some others who have not volunteered before to join me next time!

I work at another Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Tennessee and witness first-hand the energy, effort and love that each of the staff at Rutherford Co Habitat put into building homes for families in need. They shine as a model to other Habitat affiliates who look to them for ideas on building their volunteer and donor base. This great team deserves the $5,000 prize and I know it will be spent well!

I had a chance to volunteer this year on a Women's Build thru our diplomat program with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce. It was an awesome experience! Not only was it fun to take part in, it was such a blessing to see the pride the home owner had while we were building that day. The ladies at RCHFH are phenomenal at what they do! I will definitley volunteer again and support this organization any way that I can.

We're starting our 7th year of partnering w/ HFH Rutherford County (HFHRC) by building the storage sheds they provide for each one of the homes built in Rutherford County. At General Mills, we have a large number of talented individuals who have the skill to help construct the sheds. We have organized a core group that helps organize the events and execute the construction in less than 1/4 of the time it originally took several years ago when we first started. We also used our project engineering experience to source better prices for the material used in the builds. We also wanted to help them raise funds for the sheds and we began an annual charity motorcycle event (with their help) that we hope will completely fund the sheds as the participation grows. They are a great organization that does a lot of work w/ a small group of people.

I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in college with my business fraternity about 3 1/2 years ago and the experience was phenomenal. I was moved by the fact that we were making someone's life long dreams come true by not only building a house but also making a home for someone. Seeing it being constructed from the ground up with blood, sweat, and tears not only moved the family moving in but the volunteers and everyone in the process as well.

I was in charge of cutting paneling/siding for the house and for a girl with no construction experience, I think I did a pretty good job. I recommend working with Habitat for Humanity to everyone, literally. Habitat is a wonderful organization that helps make dreams become reality.

If I could give any constructive feedback to Habitat is that I wish their was a community calendar to see where individuals could sign up and work on homes that is easily accessible.

Last year, I was offered the opportunity to work with the Haibitat for Humainty of Rutherford County through my company on two women's builds. Essentially, this meant that most of the volunteer staff was comprised of other women.

I will be the first to tell you that I know little to nothing about construction. If you want me to paint, fantastic. Anything more involved than that, and I am a willing student.

Roy (a full time staff member) was SO fantastic! On the first build, we learned we would be siding a house. To ensure proper placement to prevent later weather damage, it's important to make sure it is done correctly. Roy walked us through the process and made sure we were comfortable with what we were doing. He was respectful and didn't make any of us feel badly for not knowing what we were doing.

The second build, I was working in a house nearing completion. This activity was my forte: painting. Still again, Roy checked in with us to make sure we had everything we needed and made sure we didn't have questions. That day, I was even lucky enough to meet the owner of the house. It was such a nice feeling to know I was volunteering for an organization that is directly impacting our community. You don't have to wait to see the fruits of what Habitat does. The results of their work is very tangible.